Welcome to the future of mechanical power? About three weeks ago, the University of California, Berkeley, announced an interesting invention: The itty, bitty engine.

These little engines can produce 2.5 watts of electricity, but the team which designed these engines is working on increasing it to 30 watts. How can that affect us? Laptops, appliances, robots, etc., will soon be able to run on power produced by these little engines.

Here is a part of the anouncement from the horse's mouth:

The smallest engine of its kind anywhere in the world, created in a University of California, Berkeley, laboratory, could someday replace batteries as an efficient power source for mobile devices like laptop computers. Not much bigger than a stack of pennies, the "mini engine" is the first engine of its size to deliver power on a continuous basis. Fashioned from steel, the engine is also a prototype for a UC Berkeley endeavor to create an even smaller engine chemically etched from silicon...

Source: University of Berkely

I hope that you enjoy this issue on understanding merchant accounts.

My decision to write this article is in result of my awareness that new business owners, usually, are totally confused about how credit card acceptance really works. Regardless of the type of business you may have, the procedures are always the same and are really quite elementary.

The following is a list of names of all the pieces involved in the merchant account puzzle:

1) Merchant Service Provider
2) Merchant Bank
3) Clearing House
4) Merchant
5) Merchants' Business Checking Bank
6) Required Software or Hardware

How you collect or receive your orders has no bearing on the Merchant Account at all. Whether you collect your orders from an Internet web site, by telephone, fax or face-to-face with your clients, the transactional procedure is the same.

First, you must find a Merchant Service Provider. The Merchant Provider is a representative of the Merchant Bank whose job is to generate potential clients for the Bank and to assist, in every way possible, in gathering all the information necessary for account approval. Please beware of a Merchant Provider the tries to lead you to believe that they will be responsible for authorizing your credit card transactions. This, simply, is not true! The following is what the Merchant Provider is to do:

1) Generate clients for the Merchant Bank.
2) Explain the different hardware and software available which are used to perform transactions.
3) Explain all costs and procedures involved.
4) Collect all required documentation and send it to the Merchant Bank for approval.
5) Upon approval, assist the new Merchant with the installation of the software or hardware so that transactions can be authorized electronically.

Once the Merchant Provider has the required documents, you should be installed and processing your transactions within 4 business days. If you experience a time frame longer than 4 days, you might consider cancellation as this is a clear sign of disorganization. This disorganization may have already overflowed into the customer service department which will put you on eternal hold when you need help the most. (Customer service is a NOW service, not 24 hours from now!)

After installation, this is how it works. If you chose software to perform your transactions, you either have a manual system that authorizes through the modem and phone line on your computer (manual meaning that you have to type in all transactions on your keyboard) or you have Internet software that gets authorization automatically online without requiring your presence. If you chose hardware/terminal, you must either swipe the card or manually key-in the transaction on the key pad and authorization is accomplished through the phone line. (There are terminals for Mobile merchants that get approval through a cell phone or by way of radio waves).

Regardless of the system you choose, the transaction travels from your system to the Clearing House. The Clearing House checks for the appropriate security flags and relays the transaction to your Merchant Bank. The Merchant Bank issues the approval and sends the approval number back to your terminal or computer screen. All of this is done in less than 5 seconds. Receiving the approval number means the credit card has successfully been debited and you can ship your product or perform your service. Upon approval, the money is transferred electronically out of your customers credit card account into your Merchant Account. The Merchant Bank then deducts the processing fees for the transaction and forwards the balance of your money into your Business Checking Bank. This process, from start to finish, should take no more than two days if you key-in your transactions or use the Internet system, and one day if you are swiping the credit card. (If you are told it will take 4-6 days to receive your money, this, again, is a clear sign of disorganization or a lack of ability in keeping up with the advancement of technology).

In conclusion, the sole importance of the Merchant Provider is to aid you in the process of acquiring a merchant account and setting you up with the hardware or software solutions needed in order for credit card acceptance to occur. Be sure to ask your Merchant Provider what rates and fees are involved before committing to purchase a merchant account from them. Do the research, asking questions from the get go may save you some unwanted headaches down the road. And lastly, deal only with a Merchant Provider who is truly interested in helping your business succeed to the next level.

Happy selling!

Article by Mike Mack of Electronic Card Service
http://www.acceptvisamastercard.com ECS specializes in providing
low cost credit card merchant accounts and more to all types of
businesses in the USA.

Peter Thiruselvam
Editor

The Understanding Merchant Accounts Team